I went to bed at a normal time. I was tired but I could not turn my brain off. I lay awake and the hands on the clock swept past 12:30 and then 1:30. The last time I remember was 2:15. My problem: I had read of actions by the current administration that greatly disturbed me. I couldn’t shake my anxiety.

But, help came the next morning. It came from a most unlikely source. I was reading the sports page. The story was about Robert Mathis who retired from the Indianapolis Colts at the end of last year. It was a story about how he just keeps showing up to work with the young players. He seems to be a volunteer advisor and mentor.

The current defensive coordinator, Ted Monachino said of Mr. Mathis, “He does a nice job. He’s a good communicator, he’s sharp, he thinks ahead, he sees the game through a barn door instead of through a straw. So, I can see how he fits. I think he’s got a trait to (become a coach).” (Indy Star, May 10, 2017)

That is just what I needed to hear. I need to look at the world through a “barn door instead of a straw.” I so often lose my perspective on life when I get anxious. I get what some people call tunnel vision. My fear makes me focus on the what disturbs me.

But, when I open my mind to all the kindness, goodness, and love that is part of my life and is part of so many healthy and happy relationships I am more hopeful. When I look at all the beautiful and generous people who make up human creation, I realize that looking at the world through a straw is not a way to live. Sure, there is pain and cruelty. But, there is so much more. My health needs my sleep. And my sleep needs barn doors.